Bloody Continent
by Hresvelgr
Summary: The Usean Continental War as seen by an Erusean soldier. A story of false hope and regret.
1. Tiger Coat

Author's Note: The settings and characters with recognizable names are property of Namco, and some credit must also be given to the Electrosphere and Ace Combat .  
Thank you for researching hardware, for making maps and timelines, and for reading. This story has been in my head since I first played AC04 so many years ago. It is good to finally work on it now.

This is the story of the Usean Continental War from the PoV of an Erusian ground soldier named Charlie Sharitarish. This is about what he saw, what he did, and why he did it. His story is reflected by countless more soldiers who find themselves fighting for causes that don't exist and countries and people that cease to be.

**Chapter 1: Tiger Coat**

I was already 14 years old when Ulysses came and changed everything forever. I remember it so well. It was actually very unreal, to hear the news reports of asteroids coming to destroy us all. My parents didn't talk about it very much around me, but I'm sure they were as secretly scared as the rest of the world. I was born in 1985, just 4 years before the Revolution. I don't remember that as well. I remember soldiers parading down the street, flags hanging from just about every building, and smiles. My parents were happy too, after all they were very patriotic. They had given me my great-grandfather's name, the name of a hero: Charlie Sharitarish. I was the latest in a long line of veterans proudly fighting and dying in Erusea's many wars. But now I think that my parents never wanted me to continue that tradition. As outwardly patriotic as they were, they wished I wouldn't have to live through as much chaos as they did. They were tired of war. Unfortunately they were alone. Everyone was happy on the 14th of September, 1989. The weak, corrupt government of aristocrats and 'politically reliable' idiots had finally collapsed the and the new leaders proposed an era of power and prosperity. They were right. Our country had a sharp rise in its economy, producing a new generation with all the old grudges and ambitions with a new sense of arrogance and self-importance.

In 1996 the FCU announced their findings about the Ulysses XF041994 asteroid. By then the name of Erusea had changed from the 'Federal' to the 'Free' Republic of Erusea. The government had instituted many socialist and military-first policies that a lot of people did not like. But then, most people stopped having trouble with them when they realized it'd be more trouble than it was worth. The entire military had grown drastically after a short war with the bordering nation of Amber and intervention the Delarus Civil War. We were on constant alert with the FCU, and our soldiers and theirs in the other nations were in each other's sights.

When I turned 14 I saw several army grunts on leave in Farbanti running around a mall having fun and causing trouble like high school students, and no one did anything about them. The staff treated them like kings of the castle as they trampled everywhere, went in areas they weren't allowed, and treating the place like a playground. I'd seen things like this all the time, but that day was when I made up my mind to join the army as soon as I could. My parents didn't say a word when I told them. My mother just stopped for a second and then continued what she was doing, pretending I hadn't said a word. And my dad just said that he was proud as quickly as he could in an unconvincing tone. That same year everyone starting worrying about the sky. Everyone ramped up efforts to stop Ulysses. Donations from everywhere went to Stonehenge. TV programs and magazine articles praised the 'Titan Guns'. Even paper models of the cannons became a commodity. I was beginning high school and trying my best to just get through life. The asteroid hurtling towards our planet was pushed to the back of my mind, behind homework and girls. Most of the time it never crossed my mind. Sure they had documentaries and all sorts of other broadcasts, but none of it particularly concerned me. But one day, July 3rd 1999, that illusion of an ordinary life was shattered the asteroid came in a flash, breaking into a thousand pieces over Usea.

I was at school when one chunk of rock flew overhead. Everyone could see it. It was sunset but the sky lit up as if it was midday. The air warmed up quite a bit. The asteroid had landed in the municipal section of the city with loud boom that sent a blast of hot air and walls of dust, debris, and water everywhere. Emergency teams were rushing everywhere. The sounds of sirens and horns filled the city for hours and continued for a while during the rescue efforts in what was now the Sunken City. I was in the makeshift shelter in the school gym for days as I wondered what happened to my family. It was three days before I found out they were alive in a shelter away from Farbanti.Those were some of the most hellish days of my life. For those three days I just hunkered down in that gym trying not to imagine that the worst had happened. All of Farbanti was flooded at least a foot or two for weeks. A lot of taller buildings by the municipal area and the port were set aflame. The whole thing was unreal. Wading through waist deep water downtown, watching gashed skyscrapers in the distance burn like gargantuan candles. A couple of my friends received news that their families had died. The look on their faces scared me more than anything. Later I found out that an acquantance was taking a sick day when Ulysses came. He was buried under five stories of rubble. Rats and other animals were everywhere, even a ton of pets that had been seperated from their owners. Disease was rampant and many people, especially the injured, were dying of infections, sickness, and disease. The whole city had looked as if a war had came and left in the blink of an eye. Combined with the other impacts in Goldberg, Faith Park, and Allenfort, 500,000 people had died, just stolen away by the stars. A signifigant portion of these were from Farbanti. Although the city was quickly rebuilt, it would later look almost exactly the same in several years.

But then I had no way of knowing what was to happen in the future. Back then I wasn't even concerned about the future. The present was worrying enough. Me and my parents made do in a refugee center, and later a small apartment for the next three years. The government gave us what we needed for the most part. The government was all over the place helping people. Soon we were as confident as ever. The city was almost completely repaired aside from a whole section being several stories underwater. The Sunken City was left untouched as a memorial, and a reminder of how we picked ourselves up from disaster. The government made sure we were as proud, confident, and especially patriotic, as we had been before the Impact.

Three years after the asteroid hit I joined the Free Erusian Land Forces as soon as I could. As soon as I graduated from school and said goodbye to my parents I left for the recruitment center. I remember how badly I wanted to enlist back then. I wanted to be one of those untouchables, part of the proud Erusian war machine. And I found myself on a bus full of other people, all as young as me, and with generally similar reasons for joining. It turned out to be the bus ride from Hell. The driver took us out to a base far out from Farbanti, and felt like going over every bump and pothole in the road as fast as he could. In two hours we disembarked, hauling our bags and stretching our backs while groaning. When we looked around we saw nothing but dense forest and our destination, the base.

The one uniformed soldier on the bus led us to the gate, above which the name stood in bold red letters: Fort Renegade. The place was surrounded by tall fences covered in barbed wire. The entrance was part of some kind of bunker. Behind the gate I could only see a great many dull-looking barracks and hangar structures. As soon as we entered the gate slammed shut and a tall and imposing soldier greeted us with a crooked smile and a beaming, scarred face. "Welcome to Renegade! I hope you like what we've done with the place, because it's gonna be your new home. As for me, I'm Sergeant Kurtz, and you are my next victims. Head to Building 14, that's your barracks. Now!" His pleasant, if extremely creepy demeanor, vanished and was replaced by complete anger when he gave us the command.

We all ran away from the sergeant as fast as we could. While ambling all over base looking for it a female Air Force lieutenant in a flightsuit walking by smiled mockingly and said, "Hope you enjoy your new home, boys!" and laughed as she passed by. Coincidentially we just arrived as she said that. Our barracks were no better than most of the places my family had to go to since the Impact. It was dark, the windows provided hardly any light as the walls were of a dark, moss-colored wood. Our bunks were simple cots arranged in stacks four. And I got the top one. I made a mental note to try and not roll in my sleep. One overweight recruit moaned, "Aww, this is where we have to stay for the next few days?"

A tall man piped up, "Hey, biggie, training is gonna take weeks, man! Get used to it." He said no more and jumped to the top bunk next to mine. I asked his name. "Alex Jackal." He said and shut his eyes, trying to sleep. The intercom would not let him.

"All new recruits!" It blared sharply. "All new recruits! Report to the drill square immediately. Report!"

I was worried, and so was everyone else. "Where the hell is that?" I asked. Unfortunately a familiar face appeared. Kurtz came to lead us there. We all got there in due time to group with some more recruits and Kurtz yelled for us to get in formation. New that we were, we stood in as rough an imitation of a proper formation as we could and an officer, a colonel, mounted a podium in front of everyone.

"Recruits. I am Colonel Tryffel. I am glad, the generals are glad, the nation is glad that you have decided to take the greatest step of your lives into Fort Renegade to join this army. We are already over one million strong thanks to you, we are fast becoming the largest and most powerful army in Usea. The next several weeks will not be easy. You will undergo the hardest training day in and day out to become to hardest and the best soldiers there are. And when you finish basic you will train some more. But this will help lead Erusea to our greatest heights! Now you will receive your uniforms. These will be the only clothes you need, your tiger coat. As long as you wear this you are untouchable. Take care."

With that the Colonel left and we turned to go into lines as we got our uniforms. When I got mine I put it on as soon as I got to the barracks and just stared at it in awe. In the way of uniforms it was nothing special, just fabric camouflaged in a predominately green with brown tiger stripe pattern. But the FELF badge on that jacket was what made it, and therefore me, special. As long as I wore that coat I would be answerable only to the military. My tiger coat.


	2. Renegade

Author's Note: In case y'all ain't realized most of this stuff is property of Namco. Props to them for creating such a cool setting. Also, credit for this chapter's tank scene and the character of Drill Sergeant Kurtz go to the Fyodar Bondarchuck film the 9th Company for inspiration. Great movie, watch it if you can.

-Thank you guys for the support. And sorry for the unnecessarily long delay, I've had most of this chapter ready but personal life problems distracted me. Here goes nothing!

**Chapter Two: Renegade**

We never even saw our weapons until after the first week of training. That week was probably the worst. Kurtz drilled us constantly. Sometimes he'd wake us up at night to force us to do exercises, or even a night hike into the dense woods. If someone whined or complained, SMACK! He'd punch them right out. If someone talked back to him, they got punched in the gut and get a roundhouse kick to the head, sometimes with an extra stomp for good measure. When he caught us staring at the clock to anticipate when we could finally go to sleep, he punched it in and told us to drop and give him fifty. It rained almost every day that week too. The most miserable seven days of my life.

I got to know the other recruits pretty well though. As different as we were, the only thing that united us was a hatred of our drill sergeant. Apart from Jackal there was also Diego Zuma, who seemed a bit too smart for the Army. As soon as we begun he became our de facto leader by helping out everyone who struggled more than the rest, and by making sure we avoided Kurtz's wrath as often as possible. Sometimes he even took the blame for things unrelated to him out of mercy, especially for screw-ups like Anton and Larry Johnson. Those two were cousins, and neither had any idea what they were doing. Anton was a big oaf who joined to shoot stuff. Larry was completely mentally and physically unfit and joined to blow stuff up. Kurtz always berated them for a lack of discipline, and sometimes even I agreed.

Me, a hooligan named Bill Williams, and two black guys named Kent Jackson and "Osi" Cinque were practically inseparable. We always ate at the same table, hung out together whenever possible, and even took turns keeping an eye out for Kurtz and Robichaud. Paul Robichaud was one of us, but he was a complete stickler for the rules and always sucked up to the sergeant. We all feared he'd be given a squad when this was over. He wasn't a bad soldier, and he was actually pretty smart, but he couldn't relate to any other human being.

A week after we all got here, I was eating in the mess hall and joking with Kent about some of the dumber contestants on 'Osean Idol' when the intercom blared. "All recruits report to the drill square! All recruits report!"

"Goddamn, what is it this time?" Osi groaned. We shuffled out sullenly, but when we got there we had our first real cause for joy in a long time. Sergeant Kurtz stood in front of the weapons storage facility and ordered us into lines. Today we actually formed up perfectly.

"You have survived the first seven days at Renegade, therefore you are no longer useless lumps or turds, you are now maggots! Be proud of that, it's the best you can be until buck private. As a present, you will now be given your weapons!"

Everyone's sullen grimace flipped into a beaming grin. The company clerks began passing out Galil's and keeping record of how many were issued and who got what. I held mine gingerly, like my own baby. It was an Erusian license-produced modification of the Yuke's AK rifles. Same rough finish, same rugged look and excellent reliability, but lighter, better sights, and more accurate. It also had a bipod fitted as standard and and extra five rounds in every magazine. Like my uniform, nothing special in the way of guns, but it was mine. The sergeant addressed us once more. "Take care to maintain and clean your weapons every day. If your weapon does not pass inspection you will be severely punished. Follow me to the firing range so I can instruct you on how to clean and operate your rifle."

I slung it over my shoulder and followed. He said it was lighter than a normal AK, but it still felt like a burden to take it everywhere with me. Bill, Kent, and Osi caught up with me. "Lovely things, aren't they?" Bill said, positively beaming.

"Yeah, yeah," Kent said. "But still a pain to take care of. My dad made me clean some of his guns before. You know how complicated rifles really are? Sheesh, I can't understand how anyone gets used to it." When we got to the range Kurtz showed us every single detail on the Galil, and after everyone took turns taking it apart and reassembling it Kent gaped. "Wow, I was wrong. I love these things, nothing simpler!" He was right. Even a pencil-pusher, or the dregs of society that made up half the army, could learn how to operate them in the field within an hour or two.

Kurtz had us take turns firing down range. I think I did well enough. The next several weeks were no lighter or relaxing than the first, but we gradually became used to the routine. We'd go into the woods, across a river, through a swamp, and up a mountain wearing full battle gear and packs all in one night. In the pitch darkness the bugs would be all over us, and unseen rocks took a toll on our feet. The weight of the helmet on my head was another burden at first, but soon I became so used to it I hardly noticed, just like the bump of my rifle on my back as I jogged. Kurtz had us crawl through the mud under barbed wire strewn with actual pig guts as machine guns would fire live ammo over our heads. If a piece of equipment was rusty or too dirty, he made good on his promise to beat us. Eventually every single recruit obsessively watched over their gear.

The food was no comfort either. Nothing but pork, beans, potatoes, hard tack, and water. Every once in a while we got veggies and a stew of god-knows-what if we were good. I heard it was worse for the grunts out in the field in the Republic of Amber, but I refused to believe those rumors. We slept from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am if we were lucky. When we weren't sleeping or eating we were drilling our asses off. Every single one of us became as tough as Kurtz said we would. Even Larry could pass for a soldier, at least an Osean one, we joked. Their military was often derided for incompetence and it was rumored they took in convicts, bums, and teenagers because no one else would join. I think the real cause for rumors was because they supplied the FCU with nearly everything they had, but seeing as they're doing in this war, maybe the rumors were right. Either way, the NCO's and officers even encouraged us to make fun of our rivals and their allies.

Eventually the commanders organized our barracks into platoons and squads. One morning Kurtz stormed in and ordered us to get up and stand at attention. "Maggots! Listen carefully, any interruptions and I will beat your face in! I have made my suggestions to command and they agree with me 100%!" I felt my heart sink as that probably meant Robichaud the bootlicker would be the platoon leader. "For platoon leader, only the most trustworthy, calm, and intelligent will do. Seeing as you're all nothing but worthless maggots, I suppose Recruit Zuma will do." Everyone stood still in stunned silenced. "Diego Zuma!"

He stepped forward. "Yes sir."

"Congratulations," Kurtz grumbled. "You're better than these other pukes. You will receive a sergeant's training and if you succeed, you will be promoted to sergeant upon completion." Zuma tried to suppress his wide grin and stepped back into line."

"Kent Jackson!" The drill sergeant yelled for this time, "You are to be a squad leader. You will be promoted to corporal upon completion. I will assign five more men to your command. Bill Williams, Osi Cinque, Larry Johnson, Alex Jackal, and Charlie Sharitarish!" I almost sighed at being mentioned last. "You are to listen to this man's commands."

Kurtz continued on and on. Robichaud was also a squad leader. The only recruits I knew under him were Anton Johnson and a weird guy named Jon Huy. There were a couple of other squads formed before Kurtz stopped. Based on our individual results on tests and at the range he began assigning specific roles and weapons. Jackal got a Galil sniper rifle. I wasn't surprised, he once said he hunted all the time at home. Larry got a grenade launcher to attach to his rifle. Bill ended up with a Negev machine-gun. As usual, I wasn't mentioned at all. I was to be just another basic rifleman, basic private.

One day, Kurtz randomly selected Bill for a special training procedure, and ordered us to watch. We went out to the fields as Kurtz had Bill lay down on the ground as flat as possible. While Bill was wriggling to find a more comfortable position, the drill sergeant firmly placed his boot on his chest and coldly said, "You will want to stay as still as possible. This is the test of courage. If you aren't a fucking coward you might just pass." As soon as he said that a nearby Sabra tank revved up its engine, sending a small puff of smoke into the air. Kurtz lifted his boot, and Bill decided that heeding his orders would be a really good idea. As the gargantuan tank rolled towards him, Bill started shaking in fear. We were all praying we wouldn't get up like an idiot.

As the tank rolled over, shaking the ground below us, we let out a collective sigh. Bill got up, still shaking, and made his way back to rejoin us. Larry looked twice at Bill and suddenly burst out laughing. "Look! Our brave soldier over here just pissed himself!" True enough, Bill had wet his pants in fear when the tank rolled over him. We all started laughing to his great mistfortune, even me, until Kurtz stormed over and socked some recruit in the gut.

"Laugh when _you_ prove yourself! Go ahead!" He kicked Larry with full force in the shin." Let us all see how brave you are! Recruit Williams is more a man than any of you. At least _he_ volunteers while you just watch like a goddamn pack of rats!"

I, for reasons still unbeknownst to me, decided to correct the sergeant. "Uh, sir, you forced him to do it. He didn't actually volunteer." Big mistake. A hard fist made contact with my jaw not a second later. A few of the recruits, Bill among them, chuckled at _my_ stupidity and embarassment this time. I went back to the barracks a humbled man. I did the test of courage the next day, along with Jackal, Kent, and Osi. I understood why people were so reluctant. The sound of the engine above you and the tracks tearing up earth on either side was like the sound of impending doom, like it was going to crush me.

That same day, he also informed us of the imending final test the next week. We were to do the ultimate obstacle course. Starting at noon, when it was the hottest day in June, we were to do a hike in full gear through the woods for a couple of miles, then up a steep slope where several other recruits would try to keep us from getting to the top. Then it was the average obstacle course while we were still dog-tired and had to crawl through thick mud under pig guts-strewn barbed wire with several machine guns firing overhead and riverlets of pig's blood dropping all over me much to my surprise and disgust. After the long nightmare we had to do a marksmanship test, without being rested, and anyone whose gun was fouled up by this point was failed and had to try again. People who took too long also failed. If one us fell or had an accident, the ones who didn't help him but could failed. But after we did that we could rest easy. For the ones who passed, no matter how barely they made it. Even Larry, the laziest, the dumbest, and the most hated of us all was no longer Kurtz's whipping boy that day.

There was an even more joyous event the next day. The next day, we finished basic training. Colonel Tryffel had us form up in the drill square to formally congratulate us. It was a hot June 10th. We were dressed in formal uniforms of a dark gray-green that were stifling and uncomfortable in the heat. The Colonel must've felt the same because he made the speech short. We became a part of the Erusian 8th Army, 14th Infantry Division. We were to have leave for 5 days in Farbanti, and for that the whole Fort practically cheered. On the 14th we would take part in a military parade for National Day. I was particularly excited for that. As long as I can remember I watched those parades and they were part of the inspiration that caused me to join the Free Erusian Land Forces. When Tryffel finished his speech we received the FELF 14th Division and Erusian Flag badges that set us apart from the rest of society and completed our "tiger coats."

----------

I spent the first day in Farbanti with my dad. Catching up on all the things I missed, talking about army life, all the fun father and son stuff. The next two days I partied. On the last day of leave me, Kent, Osi, and Bill got together to have fun in town. We made fools of ourselves at one restaurant and nobody cared. The soldier's discount was more than I thought. Didn't have to bring as much Erusian Foli as I did. The four of us went to a mall after eating and I spent a lot of time sleeping in a massage chair while the others did god-knows-what. Eventually some lady who worked there woke me and said politely, "Sir, you are not allowed to stay in these chairs for too long. Company policy."

I just stared right back at her, as groggy as I was. She said again, "You've been here for ten minutes."

"Been that long, eh? Uh, can I sleep for ten more minutes? Whatever happened to privileges, man, I worked my ass for them."

Now she began to sound impatient. "We have a military discount, yes, but the boss never said anything about letting you take massage chairs for yourself. Will you please leave now."

"Geez, no need to sound impatient, lady. I think we just got off to a bad start. I'm Charlie. What's your name?"

"Uh... Heather? Look, I know how the army works, my sister's in the Air Force. So if you don't leave I'll report you to your superior."

"Hey, no need for that! I just went through nine weeks of hell and wanted to rest a bit. But fine, I'll go. Why does everyone have to be so mean to me? Bye."

"Sorry, I just have to follow the rules." She looked more smug than sorry.

"Sure. See you again!" I smiled and finally left with the others.

The next day we went to an armory in the city to get ready for the parade. Fortunately some lieutenant was leading our platoon and not Kurtz during the parade. I assumed he was back at the fort being an ass like usual. The lieutenant, like every other officer, wore his formal dress uniform with the service cap. The lieutenant reminded us what to do, "Remember to stay in perfect step, look in the same direction. Remember your training and you will do fine!" I snickered at the cheap movie line he delivered as if we were all in combat. "Do not forget to salute the Junta and the Committee members as you pass by. 14th Division, fix bayonets!" We did so. "Attention!" We did so again. "Fall in behind the tanks and march!" And we started marching.

The parade was nothing more than showcase of Erusea's military might. As tensions between the FCU and our country grew the National Day parades grew more and more elaborate. Foreign press was everywhere, under guard of course, taking pictures of the Sabra and T-90 tanks, BMP-3s, 2T Stalkers, and other armored vehicles, jeeps carrying officers, and endless columns of infantry marching as one, like a hive mind staring blankly ahead. In the Presidential Palace's balcony stood all the people in the country with the most power. Anton Verdun, the Prime Minister, was the most well-known and visible in the government. But by his side was Marcus Danial, head of state and the military too. While Anton just waved at the soldiers Marcus solidly saluted them back.

After we got back from the parade an all too familiar face waited for us at the armory: Kurtz. "Maggots-, I mean men!" He said, forgetting for a moment we passed basic. "I have some delightful news. Pack up and report to the bus loading dock. We're going places..." he said with his signature crooked grin.


	3. Defcon

Author's Note: Again, thank you guys for the support. And sorry for the unnecessarily long delay, I have no excuse for putting it off this long

Disclaimer: *sigh* Ace Combat is Namco property. Ain't mine.

**Chapter Three: Defcon  
**

On the way back to Fort Renegade everyone was in an awful mood. Every day of leave was precious to us, and we all had plans that just went to hell thanks to Kurtz. I grumbled that if we were being assembled for anything but war I'd kill someone. Unfortunately, I wasn't disappointed. The buses took us right to the base's hangars, where we saw practically everyone in the place assembling. We were herded into one crowded hangar and waited several minutes wondering what was going on. In that cramped place, we had to sit on our duffel bags there was so little room, and I got a splitting headache from hearing the whole hangar buzzing with grunts' confused conversations. The stifling heat did not make things better as we were still in our formal uniforms.

After a long while a sergeant yelled, "Attention!" And we all stood straight as the lieutenant colonel in charge of our battalion made his way to the podium. "At ease." We sat back down on our bags. "Nothing I am about to say is to leave these premises. As you all should know, ever since the Usean Treaty Organization stabbed us in the back by withdrawing all their emergency aid after Ulysses, we've been at a standoff with the Federation of Central Usea. Well, it has come to our attention that the next rotation of the staff at Stonehenge is to consist mainly of FCU personnel. Many on the list are either known or suspected agents of FCU Intelligence or Special Forces agencies. And just a few hours ago satellite photography has revealed that there are large troop movements to the borders of San Salvacion, Delarus, Amber, and our Erusea. Most notably there are large transfers of aircraft, including more experienced pilots and aircraft parts and supplies, to these areas."

The lieutenant turned to a board showing Stonehenge and a map of the area. "The new FCU president, Robert Sinclair, has repeatedly stated that if we were to help the oppressed people of Amber and Delarus fight their puppet governments, as we did with Ugellas, they would take any action to destroy us. Control of the West side of Usea is their single goal. And we have been informed by our daring spies that FCU officers have been examining the usefulness of Stonehenge as an AA weapon.

"This information, coupled with FCU military movements and staff rotations, proves that they are getting ready to attack. And today, on our National Day, Robert Taylor has issued a speech to all UTO nations that Erusea is the greatest threat on the continent, that our way of life is inferior and immoral, and that he is ready to do anything to get rid of our 'threat.' That was this morning. Gentlemen, we are now at Defcon 3."

We all started shifting nervously. Some anticipated this, I used to, but now I was worried. "This is the highest state of readiness that our nation has ever been in since the Revolution. All radio communications are to use classified callsigns, Air Force and Navy are pulling recon missions and patrols 24/7. The FCU will launch their attack around August 22nd, the date of the Staff Rotation. We are to launch a preemptive attack on that day too. Air Force will strike Stongehenge as quickly as possible with the 5th Armored taking hold of it. The FCU will use Stonehenge's home nation and ally San Salvacion as a staging ground, so we must take Salvacion first. SOF (special operations force) personnel will sneak into the capital city via the airport, boarding Air Ugellas and Eruflot flights disguised as civilians. Cessnas with SOF will also go to the smaller airports and countryside runways. 25th Armored will take most of the countryside. The 12th Airborne will parachute over the city, and you are to go with them."

Anton Johnson raised his hand. "Uh, sir? We ain't paratroops." A few other grunts nervously chuckled.

"Correct, and you will not be using parachutes. Rather, your tanks will have parachutes. You will go in BMD-3 airborne IFV's and help the paratroopers take the city. Their army is weak, and their cops might be a bigger threat, so be careful. You will spend the next several months training, and studying the enemy. That is all, good luck, men."

We did train, in a desert and in a simulated town or city. We often used paintball guns, and took turns pretending to be the Opposing Forces (OpFor). That ended up being a lot more fun than basic training, and each platoon got into unofficial competitions with each other. For some reason, the training command wanted my platoon to be OpFor most of the time, and we got used to pretending to be Salvacian insurgents ambushing our fellow Erusians in a dusty city mock-up. We got a reputation for not playing fair at all. In the desert we'd take long hikes in full gear and camping out under the stars. Instructors drilled us in the customs of Eastern Useans and Salvacians. We'd have interpreters, but we also had to be able to understand key phrases and use them in their language. Anton and Larry didn't learn a thing as usual. Only Zuma kept them from getting in real trouble. We had our fun playing war in the desert, and had flashbacks to high school in the teaching lessons. And I waited, two long months until D-Day, and H-Hour.

* * *

August 22nd

I woke up early that morning to a flurry of activity. Apparently the intercom started railing off but I couldn't understand it through my usual morning grogginess. A lot of the others looked really scared. I stopped Kent to ask him exactly what the hell was going.

"Shit just got real, that's what's going on, man." I just stared blankly at him with a 'what the hell' expression on my face. "Oh, FCU planes shot two of our guys down off the coast, claimed they were in their territory. The two other guys in that flight killed two FCU planes, but one of our pilots didn't make it. Apparently we're at DefCon 2 now, but the plan proceeds as normal."

"Oh. Oh, _Shit!_" I exclaimed as soon as I realized what that meant and what today was. I got into my uniform as quickly as possible, tripping over myself, when Kurtz came into the room.

"Today's D-Day, you lucky bastards! The invasion is going to go as planned. You better check every single piece of equipment you have or I'll drop-kick your fat asses back to that dump in Farbanti you call a home!"

"Wow, guy needs to chill..." Larry murmured. Some of us nervously chuckled. If we were still in basic training he'd be in a world of pain. Fortunately Kurtz didn't care so much. In fact for the past several days he looked kind of regretful, even sad. Apparently he wasn't going because of his status as a drill sergeant. When we learned that everyone's hearts lifted. Throughout the morning and early afternoon we did our standard exercises and drills, ate, and went over the plan for hours before eating and drilling again. At 5 o'clock in the afternoon we were all to assemble in front of the hangar with all of hour combat gear for the war ahead. Officers went back and forth making sure everyone had everything they needed. Two officers went around to make sure everyone had signed their will and life insurance forms. That put a bit of a damper on everyone's mood. Far more subtly, and somewhat more sinister, a few officers went around handing out free treats and ice cream.

Larry of course didn't get what made me so paranoid of free ice cream, licking away so fast he got killer brain-freeze. "This is the best thing they've -ow- given us since we joined, man! Why -aah, my head!- are you freaking out"

"You know why they're giving us ice-cream, don't you?" Larry shook his head. Jackal answered him for me. "The higher-ups really like us, they want our last meal to be a good one to remember them by." He gave a grim smirk and Larry's eyes bulged as he slowly finished his treat. Osi started whining about all the equipment we had to carry, not knowing what to bring along. "We have a heavy helmet, rifle, enough ammo to topple Osea, several food packs, gas mask, a backpack full of god-knows-what, how are we supposed to fit inside a tank inside a plane?"

Zuma had answers for every question of his and more. "You can drop the food, we're landing near San Salvacion, they'll have plenty. Oh, the gas mask is also pointless, they got nothing really serious to use against us. Don't even think about bringing that shovel..."

"Do I need my night-vision goggles?"

"No, we'll only be attacking at 11 or 12 on a cloudy night with no moon in the sky."

"What?"

"Bring the damn goggles!"

After everyone was packed and ready we assembled into lines waiting to embark on our C-130s after the BMDs got into place inside the cargo bay. They carried six to seven people each, so I was to have a ride with Kent, Osi, Larry, Jackal, and Bill. We waited so long for the order to move that we ended up sitting for at least an hour.

The first sign the Salvacians got that anything was wrong that day was when an plane for Air Ugellas taking off from that nation's capital and an Eruflot (Erusian state airlines) plane from the city of Taisch scheduled to take off and arrive at San Salvacion at the same time were both delayed for unclear reasons. Of course I knew why, Erusean military had got all the civilians off and replaced them with military spec-ops personnel. Ugellas was our only ally, so they didn't mind. The civilians were all trapped at the terminal for hours, all cellphones and other communication devices were confiscated temporarily. When those planes were boarded, ours were too. It was relieving to get off my ass, if only for a few seconds. When the two airlines took off, we did too then. In the C-130 we had nothing to do but talk with the BMD crew a little-bit, but they were an introverted bunch, mostly talked mechanical matters to each other, and so we spent most of the flight in silence, waiting for the order to load up.

The second sign San Salvacion got of the invasion was a 30-minute blackout. They were mostly nonplussed, they didn't even wake their Prime Minister. During that blackout two Cessnas, full of Erusian SOF of course, that were scheduled for San Profetta airport, diverted off course to commandeer the city's radar installations. They mercilessly wiped out the inept and lax guards with silenced weapons, stole their uniforms, and when power came back resumed communication as normal. All military planes headed for the area guarded by those two stations.

The third and final sign they had was when the two airlines landed, got to the terminal, and didn't unload the passengers right away. The Eruflot plane crew stalled airport personnel as long as possible while the SOF inside got ready. The Air Ugellas detachment didn't get to the terminal, staying on the tarmac so they could get around to the other side of San Profetta.

As soon as we got the word the planes had landed, my pilot gave the signal to load up in the airborne IFVs. As soon as we stuffed ourselves in and shut the door, the BMD crew went over final checks and the plane crew readied its parachute system. "We are now almost over the countryside north of the capital, we go in thirty-seconds, God be with you." The cargo-bay doors appeared to open in the span of hours to reveal the sky. Osi, Larry, and Bill all started gulping and shaking in anticipation. Me, Jackal, and Kent tried our best to look calm and collected. There had been several large combat jumps throughout Usean history, but none involving this many tanks. The list of things that could go wrong and result in our horrible demise was too long to imagine. And that was before we hit the ground and went into combat. "Ten seconds, boys!" The pilot shouted, "General Marcus sends his regards!" And then he hit the button, sending us backwards with a sharp jolt and then a steady motion as we started to slide out the back of the plane. I muttered as quietly as possible, "Three, two, one..."


End file.
